Telecommunications module and frame

ABSTRACT

A telecommunications chassis comprises a cable sealing portion defining at least one cable opening configured to sealably receive a cable and a module mounting portion extending from the cable sealing portion, which further comprises a housing defining an open front closable by a door to define an interior, a rear wall, a right wall, and a left wall. A plurality of module mounting locations is provided in a vertically stacked arrangement, each configured to receive a telecommunications module through the open front. An exterior of the housing includes a first column of radius limiters defining curved profiles for guiding cables from the front toward the rear with bend control. A second column of radius limiters in the form of spools is spaced apart and generally parallel to the first column of radius limiters and a third column of radius limiters, at least some of which are in the form of spools, is also spaced apart and generally parallel to the first and second columns of radius limiters. The rear wall defines an opening for accessing from the exterior of the housing rear ends of modules to be mounted in the housing for signal input, wherein the exterior also includes a plate at least partially overlapping the opening for protection of cables entering the opening.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/290,512, filed Mar. 1, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,802,238; which is acontinuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/479,463, filed Apr. 5,2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,222,571; which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/319,535, filed Apr. 7, 2016, thedisclosures of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to fiber optictelecommunications equipment. More specifically, the present disclosurerelates to modular elements housing fiber optic telecommunicationsequipment that are mounted to telecommunications frames.

BACKGROUND

In fiber optic telecommunications systems, it is common for opticalfibers of transmission cables to be split into multiple strands, eitherby optical splitting of a signal carried by a single stranded cable orby fanning out the individual fibers of a multi-strand cable. Further,when such systems are installed, it is known to provide excess capacityin the installations to support future growth and utilization of thefibers. Often in these installations, modules including splitters orfanouts are used to provide the connection between transmission fibersand customer fibers. To reduce the cost and complexity of the initialinstallation and still provide options for future expansion, a modulemounting fixture such as a chassis or a tray capable of mountingmultiple modules may be used in such an installation.

While the fixture may accept several modules, the initial installationmay only include fewer modules mounted in the fixture, or enough toserve current needs. These fixtures may be configured with limitedaccess to one or more sides, or may be mounted in cramped locations. Inaddition, some of these fixtures may be pre-configured with the maximumcapacity of transmission cables to accommodate and link to modules whichmay be installed in the future. Since it is desirable to have access tocomponents within the fixture for cleaning during the installation of anew module, some provision or feature of the fixture will desirablypermit a user to access and clean the connectors of thesepre-connectorized and pre-installed transmission cables.

In fiber-optic telecommunications, it is also common for optical signalsof transmission cables to be multiplexed. Wavelength divisionmultiplexing (WDM) is a technology which multiplexes multiple opticalcarrier signals on a single optical fiber by using different wavelengthsof laser light to carry different signals. This allows for amultiplication in capacity, in addition to making it possible to performbidirectional communications over one strand of fiber.

Improvements in the design of such telecommunications modules and thetelecommunications frames for mounting them are desired.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to a telecommunications assemblyincluding a telecommunications fixture such as a tray and at least onetelecommunications module mounted within the tray. Within an interior ofeach of the modules is located a fiber optic component. In oneembodiment, the fiber optic component may be a fiber optic splitter. Inanother embodiment, the fiber optic component may be a fiber opticdivision multiplexer/demultiplexer. The module may include one or moresignal input locations and one or more signal output locations. Incertain embodiments, the signal input locations may be adjacent thesignal output locations, and the cabling extending from the signal inputlocations to the fiber optic component and then to the signal outputlocations from the fiber optic component may utilize the same cablemanagement features within the module housing. When the module is usedas a fiber optic division multiplexer/demultiplexer module, themultiplexer/demultiplexer, as a receiver, is configured to demultiplexmultiple optical carrier signals carried by the single input opticalfiber into different wavelengths of laserlight as customer outputsignals. As a transmitter, the multiplexer/demultiplexer is configuredto multiplex the customer signals, which are different wavelengths oflaserlight, and combine them into a single optical fiber to be outputtedfrom the module.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the modulecomprises a housing including a main housing portion defining aninterior formed by a first sidewall, a second sidewall, a bottom wall, afront wall, and a rear wall, the housing further including a removablecover mounted to the main housing portion to define a top wall. Theinterior defines a right chamber separated from a left chamber. A fiberoptic component is housed within the left chamber. A signal inputlocation for receiving an input signal to be processed by the fiberoptic component and a signal output location for exiting an outputsignal processed by the fiber optic component are both exposed to theright chamber, wherein both the signal input location and the signaloutput location are defined by the front wall, wherein a cable carryingthe input signal is fixed adjacent the signal input location via a crimpassembly, and a cable carrying the output signal is fixed adjacent thesignal output location via a crimp assembly, wherein an excess fiberlength formed when an outer jacket of the cables contracts more than thefiber therewithin due to temperature variations is accommodated by theright chamber to allow the excess fiber length to accumulate withoutbending in a radius smaller than a minimum bend radius. A cablemanagement structure is positioned within the right chamber, the cablemanagement structure being a dual-layered cable management structuredefining a lower cable-wrapping level and a separate uppercable-wrapping level, wherein the upper cable-wrapping level is definedby a removable cable retainer that is mounted on a spool defining thelower-cable wrapping level, the dual layered cable management structureincluding both the cable carrying the input signal and the cablecarrying the output signal wrapped therearound for cable management. Thecable carrying the input signal and the cable carrying the output signalare passed between the right chamber and the left chamber before andafter being processed by the fiber optic component, respectively,wherein at least one of the rear wall, the first sidewall, and thesecond sidewall defines a curved portion for providing bend radiusprotection to the cables carrying the input and output signals withinthe module.

According to another aspect, the disclosure is directed to atelecommunications chassis/frame for receiving a plurality of theabove-discussed modules.

According to one inventive aspect, such a chassis includes a cablesealing portion defining at least one cable opening configured tosealably receive a cable and a module mounting portion extending fromthe cable sealing portion. The module mounting portion further comprisesa housing defining an open front closable by a door to define aninterior, a rear wall, a right wall, and a left wall, the housingfurther defining a plurality of module mounting locations provided in avertically stacked arrangement within the interior, each configured toreceive a telecommunications module through the open front, an exteriorof the housing including a first column of radius limiters each defininga curved profile for guiding cables from the front of the housing towardthe rear with bend control, the exterior of the housing including asecond column of radius limiters in the form of spools that are spacedapart and generally parallel to the first column of radius limiters, theexterior of the housing further including a third column of radiuslimiters, at least some of which are in the form of spools that arespaced apart and generally parallel to the first and second columns ofradius limiters, the rear wall defining an opening for accessing fromthe exterior of the housing rear ends of modules to be mounted in thehousing for signal input, wherein the exterior of the housing includes aplate at least partially overlapping the opening for protection ofcables entering the opening.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of the description, illustrate several aspects of the inventivefeatures and together with the detailed description, serve to explainthe principles of the disclosure. A brief description of the drawings isas follows:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a telecommunications assemblyincluding a telecommunications module having features that are examplesof inventive aspects in accordance with the present disclosure mountedwithin a telecommunications fixture in the form of a tray;

FIG. 2 illustrates the telecommunications assembly of FIG. 1 from a topview;

FIG. 3 illustrates the telecommunications assembly of FIG. 1 with themodule exploded off the tray;

FIG. 4 illustrates the telecommunications assembly of FIG. 1 with thecover of the module removed from the main housing portion of the modulehousing;

FIG. 5 illustrates the main housing portion of the module housing ofFIG. 4 with a number of features exploded from the main housing portion,the module shown without any optical components or associated cablingtherein; FIG. 5A is a close-up view of the cable exit portion of themodule of FIG. 5;

FIG. 6 illustrates the main housing portion of FIG. 5 from a top viewwherein all of the features thereof are in an assembled configuration;

FIG. 7 illustrates the main housing portion of FIG. 5 in a fullypopulated configuration with the optical component and the cablingtherein;

FIG. 8 is cross-sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 8A is a close-up view of the output cable crimp holding portion ofthe module of FIG. 8;

FIG. 9 illustrates a front view of the insect-infestation preventiondevice of the module of FIG. 8 in isolation;

FIGS. 10-13 illustrate the sequential steps for routing cablingassociated with an input signal that is split by a fiber optic splitterof the module into a plurality of output signals output from the module;

FIG. 14 illustrates an exploded view of an example of a crimp assembly(i.e., furcation tube assembly) that can be used with the outputpigtails of the module of FIGS. 1-13;

FIG. 15 illustrates the crimp assembly of FIG. 14 in an assembledconfiguration;

FIG. 16 illustrates an exploded view of an example of a crimp assembly(i.e., furcation tube assembly) that can be used with the input cablingof the module of FIGS. 1-13;

FIG. 17 illustrates the crimp assembly of FIG. 16 in an assembledconfiguration;

FIG. 18 is a front perspective view of a telecommunicationschassis/frame configured to receive a plurality of thetelecommunications assemblies of FIGS. 1-13, the chassis shown populatedwith a plurality of telecommunications assemblies and shown in an openaccess position;

FIG. 19 is a front view of the telecommunications chassis/frame of FIG.18;

FIG. 20 is a rear perspective view of the telecommunicationschassis/frame of FIG. 18;

FIG. 21 illustrates the chassis/frame of FIG. 18 in an emptyconfiguration;

FIG. 22 illustrates the chassis/frame of FIG. 19 in an emptyconfiguration;

FIG. 23 illustrates the chassis/frame of FIG. 20 in an emptyconfiguration;

FIG. 24 illustrates a partially exploded view of a sealed enclosureformed by clamping a cover/dome on the chassis/frame of FIGS. 18-23;

FIG. 25 illustrates the enclosure of FIG. 24 in an assembledconfiguration;

FIG. 26 illustrates a partially exploded view of the enclosure of FIGS.24-25 being mounted on a vertical surface such as a telecommunicationspole;

FIG. 27 illustrates the enclosure of FIG. 26 in a fully mountedposition;

FIG. 28 is a front perspective view of another embodiment of atelecommunications chassis/frame configured to receive a plurality ofthe telecommunications assemblies of FIGS. 1-13, the chassis shownpopulated with a plurality of telecommunications assemblies and shown inan open access position;

FIG. 29 is a front view of the telecommunications chassis/frame of FIG.28;

FIG. 30 is a rear perspective view of the telecommunicationschassis/frame of FIG. 28;

FIG. 31 illustrates the chassis/frame of FIG. 28 in an emptyconfiguration;

FIG. 32 illustrates the chassis/frame of FIG. 29 in an emptyconfiguration;

FIG. 33 illustrates the chassis/frame of FIG. 30 in an emptyconfiguration;

FIG. 34 illustrates a partially exploded view of a sealed enclosureformed by clamping a cover/dome on the chassis/frame of FIGS. 28-33;

FIG. 35 illustrates the enclosure of FIG. 34 in an assembledconfiguration;

FIG. 36 illustrates a partially exploded view of the enclosure of FIGS.34-35 being mounted on a vertical surface such as a telecommunicationspole; and

FIG. 37 illustrates the enclosure of FIG. 36 in a fully mountedposition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary aspects of the presentdisclosure which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Whereverpossible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout thedrawings to refer to the same or similar parts.

FIGS. 1-4 illustrate a telecommunications assembly 10 including atelecommunications module 12 having features that are examples ofinventive aspects in accordance with the present disclosure mountedwithin a telecommunications fixture in the form of a tray 14. Thedepicted fixture in the form of a tray 14 may be mounted to othertelecommunications fixtures such as chassis/frame, etc.

In the given embodiment, the telecommunications module 12 definesnotches 16 on a right sidewall 18 and a left sidewall 20 of a mainhousing portion 22 of the module housing 24 for receiving elastic rampedtabs 26 provided on the tray 14 for mounting the module 12 to the tray14 with a snap-fit interlock.

A bottom wall 28 defined by the module main housing portion 22 alsoincludes a cutout 30 extending in a front-to-back direction foraccommodating a center divider 32 of the tray 14. The center divider 32of the tray 14 extends all the way across the tray 14 and transitionsinto a cable management finger 34 that protrudes outwardly from thefront of the tray 14.

It should be noted that although the module 12 of the present disclosureis depicted as being mounted on a telecommunications tray 14, the module12 may be utilized in other types of fixtures, and the depicted tray 14is only one example of such a fixture.

FIGS. 5-13 illustrate the telecommunications module 12 having featuresthat are examples of inventive aspects in accordance with the presentdisclosure. Since one of the telecommunications equipment housed by themodule is a fiber optic splitter 36, the telecommunications module 12may also be referred to herein as a fiber optic splitter module 12. Itshould be noted that an optical splitter 36 is only one example of anoptical component that may be housed within the module 12 of the presentdisclosure, and in other embodiments, the module 12 may be configured tohouse other types of optical equipment such as fan-outs, wavelengthdivision multiplexer/demultiplexers, combiners, filters, etc. As will bediscussed in further detail below, according to certain embodiments, themodule 12 may be provided with removable inserts that are customizedbased on the type of fiber optic equipment that is going to be housedwithin the module 12 and the corresponding cable routing provided withinthe module 12. The inserts may be sized and configured to accommodatethe different types of fiber optic equipment and may include pre-mountedor pre-molded cable management structures such as radius limiters orspools that are designed in accordance with the cable routing needed forthe types of fiber optic equipment provided in the module 12.

The telecommunications module 12 includes the module housing 24 that ismade up of the main housing portion 22 and a removable cover 38 (shownin an exploded configuration in FIG. 4). The cover 38 may be mounted tothe module main housing portion 22 via fasteners 40 as shown in FIGS. 4and 5.

In FIGS. 5 and 5A, the main housing portion 22 of the module housing 24is shown in an exploded orientation.

The main housing portion 22 and the removable cover 38 of the module 12are illustrated in a fully assembled configuration in FIGS. 1-3. Themain housing portion 22 of the module housing 24 is shown without theoptical equipment and associated cabling in FIGS. 5, 5A, and 6. In FIGS.7 and 8, the module 12 is shown fully populated with these features.

Still referring to FIGS. 5-13, in the given embodiment, the module 12 isdepicted as being configured to house an optical component in the formof a fiber optic splitter 36. The fiber optic splitter 36 is adapted topower split a first input fiber optic signal entering the module 12 intomultiple strands that are output as connectorized pigtails 42 from themodule 12. In the embodiment shown, the fiber optic splitter 36 is a1×32 splitter. As such, the module 12 of the present disclosure isillustrated as outputting 32 output signals via fiber optic pigtails 42for every input signal entering the module 12. As shown and as will bediscussed in further detail, an outer layer (e.g., a strength layer 44)of the cabling 46 carrying the input signal, and an outer layer (e.g., astrength layer 48) of the cabling (e.g., pigtails) 42 carrying theoutput signals may be fixed to the module housing 24 via crimping so asto still allow the internal fibers to move through the walls of themodule housing 24 for accommodating thermal expansion.

Now referring specifically to FIGS. 5, 5A, and 6, the main housingportion 22 of the housing 24 of the fiber optic splitter module 12 isillustrated. The cover 38 of the fiber optic splitter module housing 24has been removed, exposing the interior features of the fiber opticsplitter module 12 including an example cable routing associated with asplitter 36 within the fiber optic splitter module 12.

The main housing portion 22 defines the bottom wall 28 extending betweenthe right wall 18, the left wall 20, a rear wall 52, and a front wall54. As noted above, the open side 56 of module main housing 22 isnormally closed by a removable cover 38 that defines a top wall 58 ofthe module housing 24.

Rear wall 52 of main housing portion 22 includes curved portions 60 thatare configured to provide bend radius protection and routing guidance tocables 42, 46 within an interior 62 of the module 12. The front wall 54of module main housing portion 22 is configured to provide the signalinput and the signal output locations 64, 66 of the module 12. Thedepicted module 12 includes two signal input openings 68 at the frontwall 54. The signal input openings 68 of the front wall 54 are normallycovered by downwardly protruding tabs 70 of the cover 38. The protrudingtabs 70 may include breakable portions 72 for exposing one or more ofthe signal input openings 68 for utilizing the opening as a signal inputlocation 64 (please refer to FIG. 4).

The depicted module 12 also defines a signal output or a cable exitopening 74 at the front wall 54, adjacent the signal input openings 68.The module 12 is configured to receive a bend limiting apparatus 76 atthe signal output opening 74 that extends outwardly from the front wall54. The bend limiting apparatus 76 is in the form of a boot 50 and isconfigured to provide bend protection to the plurality of pigtails 42carrying the output signals exiting the module 12.

The boot 50 defines a central opening 78 aligned with the cable exitopening 74 for routing the pigtails 42 out of the module 12. The boot 50is slidably mounted to main housing portion 22 and is configured to becaptured by the cover 38 of module 12 when cover 38 is mounted to mainhousing portion 22.

According to the depicted embodiment, in order to facilitate placementand/or removal of the flexible boot 50, the cable exit opening 74defined by the main housing portion 22 is configured such that the boot50 can be axially slid over the pigtails 42, brought toward the module12 from an exterior of the module 12, and placed at the cable exitopening 74, wherein a cable passage defined by the central opening 78 ofthe boot 50 aligns with the cable exit opening 74. In the depictedembodiment, a rear lip or flange 80 of the boot 50 can be insertedthrough the cable opening 74 and then slidably placed within a firstnotch 82 defined at the cable opening 74. Once the rear lip 80 of theboot 50 has been placed within the first notch 82, a separate bootretainer 84 in the form of a C-shaped clip is slidably placed over theboot 50 in a direction transverse to the axial direction. The bootretainer 84 defines a flange 86 that is slidably placed within a secondnotch 87 defined in front of the first notch 82. Once positioned, theflange 86 defined by the boot retainer 84 abuts, on one side, an innerside of the front wall 54 surrounding the cable exit opening 74. And,the flange 86 defined by the boot retainer 84 also abuts, on theopposite side, the lip 80 of the boot 50 to prevent the boot 50 frombeing pulled out in the axial direction. The cover 38 of the modulehousing 24 is placed on the main housing portion 22 and captures theboot retainer 84 against the main housing portion 22 to prevent the boot50 from being pulled out.

According to the depicted embodiment, the fiber optic splitter modulealso includes at least one insect-infestation prevention device 88 thatis configured to be placed at the cable exit opening 74. Theinsect-infestation prevent device 88 is shown in isolation in FIG. 9.The cover 38 of the module 12 includes structure for capturing theinsect-infestation prevention device 88 within the main housing portion22 of the fiber optic splitter module housing 24, as will be describedin further detail.

The insect-infestation prevention device 88 is configured to be mountedadjacent the front cable exit opening 74 of the main housing portion 22,aligning with the boot central opening 78. As shown, theinsect-infestation prevention device 88 includes a one-piece molded body90 defining a top end 92, a bottom end 94, a front end 96, a rear end98, a right side 100 and a left side 102. The body 90 includes cutouts104 extending from the top end 92 toward the bottom end 94. The cutouts104 are configured to receive fiber optic cables in a direction from thetop end 92 toward the bottom end 94. In the depicted embodiment, thecutouts 104 each include a zig-zag configuration (a.k.a., an S-shapedconfiguration). The zig-zag configuration is designed to increase thedensity of the cables that can be stacked in the cutouts 104. Forexample, in the depicted embodiment, the zig-zag configuration allows acutout 104 to accommodate four fiber optic cables stacked on top of eachother, whereas straight slots would require a wider footprint for thecable manager or deeper cutouts. In other embodiments, depending uponthe density required, the cutouts 104 could have straight slottedconfigurations.

The angles forming the zig-zag configuration of the cutouts 104 aredesigned such that, while providing a higher density for the cables,they also preserve bend radius properties of the fibers. When theinsect-infestation prevention device 88 is aligned with the boot 50, thecutouts 104 are preferably sized to provide a snug fit with the outputcables 42 such that any extra room around the cables 42 is limited toprevent insect-infestation. When less than all of the cutouts 104 orless than the entirety of a cutout 104 is used, the remaining space canbe plugged using different types of inserts. For example, according toone embodiment, the remaining space that is not used for outputting afiber can be plugged using a dummy fiber furcation tube assembly. Thedummy fiber furcation tube assembly may include all of the components ofa normal live fiber furcation tube assembly except for the fiber itself.An example of a dummy fiber furcation tube assembly is discussed in U.S.Pat. No. 8,824,850, the entire disclosure of which is incorporatedherein by reference.

The rear end 98 of the body 90 of the insect-infestation preventiondevice 88 includes right and left flanges 106, 108. As shown in FIGS. 5,5A, and 6, the insect-infestation prevention device 88 is slidablymounted at the cable exit opening 74, behind the boot 50, such that theright and left flanges 106, 108 are inserted into a third notch 110defined adjacent the cable exit opening 74. Once the flanges 106, 108are within the third notch 110, the front end 96 of theinsect-infestation prevention device 88 lies flush with the rear end ofthe boot 50.

Once the insect-infestation prevention device 88, the boot 50, and theboot retainer 84 are placed on the main housing portion 22, the cover 38is used to capture these components against the main housing portion 22.

As discussed previously, an outer layer 48 of the cables 42 exiting themodule 12 through the boot 50 is fixed to the main housing portion 22 ofthe module 12 so as to allow expansion of the fiber through the cabling42 due to thermal variances.

According to the depicted embodiment, the module 12 includes integrallyformed crimp holders 112 (e.g., slots) within the interior 62 of themodule housing 24 adjacent the front wall 54 thereof. Crimp elements 114(see FIGS. 14 and 15) crimped to the output pigtail cables 42 areslidably received into the crimp holders 112. Crimp elements 114 includesquare flanges 116 between which are defined recessed portions 118. Thecrimp holders 112 include complementary structure to the crimp elements114 such that once the crimp elements 114 are slidably inserted into thecrimp holders 112, the crimp elements 114 are prevented from moving in alongitudinal direction due to the flanges 116. Once slidably inserted,crimp elements 114 are held in place by the cover 38 that is mounted onthe module main housing 22. The crimp assembly 120 used for the outputcables 42 is illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15 and discussed in furtherdetail below.

In the embodiment shown, there are seven crimp holding slots 112, eachslot 112 being able to accommodate up to five crimp elements 114 (seeFIGS. 8 and 8A). In the embodiment of the module 12 shown, since a 1×32fiber optic splitter 36 may be used, the crimp holders 112 provide thecapacity for all of the thirty-two crimp elements 114 connected tooutput cables 42. Since only thirty-two crimp holding positions areoccupied, the remaining three positions may be filled with dummy crimpelements 122 or inserts/fillers that are not connected to cables, makingsure the crimp elements 114 crimped to active output cables 42 do notslide out of the slots 112.

The configuration of the module housing 24 can certainly be modified toaccommodate other number of inputs or outputs, as desired. In addition,other complementary shapes between the crimp elements 114, and the crimpholders 112 can be used to provide a slidable fit and to prevent axialmovement of the crimp elements 114 within the crimp holders 112.

Referring now to FIGS. 14 and 15, one example of a crimp assembly 120(i.e., furcation tube assembly) that can be used with the module 12 isillustrated. The crimp assembly 120 includes, as discussed above, acrimp element 114 that defines a front portion with a circumferentialnotch 118 (i.e., recessed portion) configured to slidably fit within oneof the crimp slots 112 of the module 12 and a rear portion 124configured to crimp a strength member 48 of the cabling 42. The crimpelement 114 defines a central hollow opening through which an innerfiber bearing tube 126 extends. A strength member 48 is shown in FIG. 14extending between the inner tube 126 and the outer tubing or jacket 128of the cable 42. Strength member 48, as shown, is an aramid fiber suchas Kevlar® but other suitable materials may also be used. Beforecrimping the strength member 48 to the crimp element 114, the strengthmember 48 is overlapped onto rear portion 124 of the crimp element 114.A crimp sleeve 130 is fit about the strength member 48 above the rearportion 124 of the crimp element 114 and is crimped to hold theseelements together. The outer jacket 128 abuts against the rear end ofthe crimp sleeve 130.

A similar crimp-based fixation assembly 131 is also provided for thesignal input location 64. As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, a strain reliefboot 132 is provided that mates with a crimp element 134 for fixing thecabling 46 at the input location 64. The crimp element 134 defines acircumferential notch 136 (i.e., recessed portion). The circumferentialnotch 136 is slidably inserted into one of the signal input openings 68defined on the front wall 54 of the main housing portion 22. The crimpelement 134 of the input connection is captured by the cover 38 when thecover 38 is mounted on the main housing portion 22.

The crimp assembly 131 at the signal input location 64 further includesan insertion cap 138 that mounts inside a front end of the crimp element134 and a crimp sleeve 140 that mounts around the exterior of the frontend of the crimp element 134. The crimp element 134 is configured toreceive, anchor, and provide strain relief/bend radius protection to thefiber optic cable 46 carrying the input signal. The input fiber opticcable 46 includes a jacket 142 surrounding a fiber bearing tube 144. Thefiber optic cable 46 also includes the strength layer 44 formed by aplurality of strength members (e.g., reinforcing fibers such as aramidyarn/Kevlar®) positioned between the optical fiber tube 144 and theouter jacket 142. An end portion of the strength layer 44 is crimpedbetween the crimp sleeve 140 and the exterior surface of the front endof the crimp element 134 so as to anchor the strength layer 44 to thecrimp element 134. The crimp assembly 131 further includes the strainrelief boot 132 mounted at the front end of the crimp element 134, overthe crimp sleeve 140, for providing strain relief and bend radiusprotection to the optical fiber.

The insertion cap 138 reduces the size of the central opening of thecrimp element 134 such that the outer tubing or jacket 142 of the cable46 can abut against the cap 138 as the inner tubing 144 bearing thefiber is inserted through the crimp element 134.

Thus, the cable 46 carrying the input signal and the pigtails 42carrying the output signals are both fixed to the module housing 24while the fibers extending therethrough are allowed pass through thehousing walls and expand and contract due to thermal variations. Themodule housing 24, thus, provides an expansion chamber effect for theincoming and outgoing fibers.

Now referring back to FIGS. 5-13, the interior 62 of the main housingportion 22 is divided into two halves or chambers 146, 148 (e.g., aright chamber 146 and a left chamber 148) by a divider wall 150. Theright chamber 146 may be considered the cable management and expansionchamber, and the left chamber 148 may be considered the opticalequipment or component holding chamber.

Toward the rear wall 52 within the right chamber 146 is positioned acable management structure in the form of a spool 152 that is integrallyformed with the bottom wall 28 of the main housing portion 22. Aremovably mounted cable retainer 154 is placed over the spool 152 so asto form a dual-layered cable management structure 156 as will bediscussed in further detail below.

The cable retainer 154 defines circumferentially placed fingers 158 forretaining the cables around the dual-layered structure 156. When thecable retainer 154 is placed on the spool 152 that is integrally formedwith the bottom wall 28 of the main housing portion 22, the fingers 158fit within notches 160 on the spool 152 to create a dual-layeredstructure.

The left chamber 148 of the main housing portion 22 is configured tohouse optical equipment or components for the module 12. As noted above,the depicted module 12 is a fiber optic splitter module and a powersplitter 36 is depicted as being housed within the left chamber 148.

It should be noted that the left chamber 148 provides enough spacing todirectly mount different types of optical equipment, or, alternatively,receive molded inserts that may have features for mounting differenttypes of optical equipment. In the embodiment shown, the fiber opticsplitter 36 is shown as being directly placed within the left chamber148.

Referring to FIGS. 7, 8, and 10-13, an example of a cable routing pathgoing all the way from the signal input location 64 to the signal outputlocation 66 will now be described, referring to the features of themodule 12 that allow management or provide for bend radius protectionfor such cabling.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a fully populated module 12 showing all of thecabling associated with the input and output signals. FIGS. 10-13illustrate the example routing in sequential steps to facilitateunderstanding of the routing within the module 12.

Now referring to FIG. 10, in the depicted example, a cable 46 carryingthe input signal enters the module housing 24 through the signal inputopening 68 at the front wall 54 of the main housing portion 22. Thatcable 46 is wrapped around the dual layer cable management structure 156twice, with the final wrap ending up on the upper level of the cablemanagement structure 156. The initial wrap of the cable 46 is around thelower portion of the cable management structure 156 that is integrallyformed with the bottom wall 28 of the module housing 24, and this wrapallows expansion of the cable within the right chamber 146 of the modulehousing 24. When the cable 46 passes from the lower level to the upperlevel of the cable management structure 156, it is routed through a pairof cable holders 162 that limit movement of the cable 46 that is at theupper level of the cable management structure 156.

From the upper level of the cable management structure 156, the cable 46passes over a notch 163 on the central divider 150 to the left chamber148 of the module housing 24. After passing to the left chamber 148 ofthe module housing 24, the cable 46 is routed to follow an S-shaped pathand initially extends all the way around the fiber optic splitter 36,through three other cable holders 162 (one being located toward thefront and left corner of the module housing 24, the second being locatedadjacent the rear wall 52 of the housing 24, and the third being locatedadjacent the divider 150) before being spliced to the splice input side164 of a splice area 166.

Referring now to FIG. 11, from the splice output side 168 of the splicearea 166, the cable 46 carrying the input signal is then routed againall the way around the fiber optic splitter 36 in the left chamber 148,passing through the three cable holders 162, before entering thesplitter input side 170 of the fiber optic splitter 36.

FIG. 12 illustrates the cable routing for the cables 42 that are outputfrom the splitter output side 172 of the fiber optic splitter 36. Asshown in FIG. 12, after the cables 42 carrying the output signal leavethe output side 172 of the splitter 36, the cables 42 are routed all theway around the left chamber 148, passing through the three cable holders162, before being led to the splice input side 164 of the splice area166.

Now referring to FIG. 13, after being spliced to cabling 42 carrying theoutput signal, the cables 42 are lead from the splice output side 168,all the way around the left chamber 148 again, toward the right chamber146 of the module housing 24. The cables 42 pass over the divider 150and are then routed around the cable management structure 156 beforebeing led to the crimp holders 112. As discussed previously, the cables42 carrying the output signal are crimped via crimp elements 114, andthe strength members 48 thereof are fixed to the module housing 24 atthe crimp area, before being led out as pigtails 42 from the cable exitboot 50.

FIGS. 7 and 8, as discussed above, show the entire routing for all ofthe cabling carrying the input and output signals within the module 12.

It should be noted that the depicted cable routing configuration issimply one example of a configuration that can be used within the module12 given the optical components used therein. Depending upon the type ofoptical components used within the module 12, the cable managementfeatures associated with possible inserts that are configured to holdsuch components, or the number of signal input openings utilized, thecable routing for the module 12 can be varied.

Now referring to FIGS. 18-37, various examples of telecommunicationsfixtures such as telecommunications chassis/frames that are configuredto receive assemblies similar to the telecommunications assembly 10described above are illustrated.

Referring now specifically to FIGS. 18-27, a first embodiment of atelecommunications frame 200 that is configured to receive assembliessimilar to the telecommunications assembly 10 is illustrated. In FIGS.28-37, a second embodiment of a frame 300 having features that aresimilar to the frame 200 of FIGS. 18-27 is illustrated, the frame 300 ofFIGS. 28-37 providing a larger connection capacity than the frame 200 ofFIGS. 18-27. As shown, the frame 300 of FIGS. 28-37 defines a tallerprofile providing for a larger number of levels for receiving assemblies10 than the frame 200 of FIGS. 18-27.

Either frame 200, 300 may be provided as an undergroundtelecommunications fixture or may be provided as an above-ground fixturethat can be mounted on vertical surfaces such as a telecommunicationspole 400 (as illustrated in FIGS. 26-27 and 36-37).

It should be noted that, other than the size difference, the frame 200of FIGS. 18-27 is similar in configuration and function to that of theframe 300 of FIGS. 28-37, and, unless specifically distinguished, thefeatures of the frame 200 of FIGS. 18-27 are fully applicable to thefeatures of the frame 300 of FIGS. 28-37. Thus, the inventive featuresof the present application will be described with reference to only theframe 200 of FIGS. 18-27.

Referring now specifically to FIGS. 18-27, the frame 200 defines a cableseal portion 202 toward the bottom thereof that defines a plurality ofopenings 204 for sealably receiving large bundle cables 206. It shouldbe noted that the bundle cables 206 entering the frame 200 may includeboth feeder (i.e., input) and distribution (i.e., output) cables 208carrying the respective signals. In the depicted embodiment, threeopenings 204 are illustrated for receiving three bundle cables 206carrying a plurality of input and/or output individual cables 208. Othernumber of openings 204 can be utilized depending upon the desiredconnectivity.

As will be discussed in further detail below, the outer perimeter of thecable seal portion 202 is configured to intermate with a cover/dome 210,and, with the use of a clamp 212, form an enclosure 214. The cover 210is illustrated in FIGS. 24-27.

A module mounting portion 216 of the frame 200 extends upwardly from thecable seal portion 202 and defines a housing 218 that is configured toreceive assemblies similar to the telecommunications assembly 10discussed above, wherein such assemblies are formed from atelecommunications module similar to module 12 that has been mountedwithin a tray similar to tray 14.

In FIGS. 18-20, the module mounting portion 216 of the frame 200 isshown populated with a plurality of assemblies 10. In FIGS. 21-23, theframe 200 is shown in an empty configuration for illustrating theinterior details of the housing 218.

The housing 218 defines an open front 220 that is closed by a hingeddoor 222. The housing 218 further defines right and left sidewalls 224,226 and a rear wall 228, configured to cooperatively receive theinserted assemblies 10 through the open front 220.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 18-27, a swell latch 230 is used tokeep the door 222 closed with respect to the housing 218. Other types oflatches can also be used.

Referring now to FIGS. 18 and 20, the door 222 and the housing 218define intermating structures for temporarily keeping the door 222 in anopen position so that a technician can freely access the connectionlocations provided on the assemblies 10 within the housing 218. In theembodiment shown, the door 222 defines a slide guide opening 232 at thebottom thereof that has a narrower slide portion 234 and a widerretention portion 236. The guide opening 232 cooperates with a guide pin238 that is spring-loaded to be biased downwardly. The guide pin 238extends from the housing 218 via a pivotally disposed arm 240. The guidepin 238 defines a narrow portion 242 that is sized to slide within thenarrow portion 234 of the guide opening 232. The guide pin 238 alsodefines a wider portion 244 that is sized to fit within the widerretention portion 236 of the guide opening 232 but not in the narrowerslide portion 234. When the door 222 is in a predetermined position (maybe the fully or partially opened position), the guide pin 238 is biaseddownwardly such that the wider portion 244 of the guide pin 238 isaligned with and able to move into the wider portion 236 of the guideopening 232. Since the wider portion 236 of the guide pin 238 is notsized to slidably fit through the narrow portion 234 of the opening 232,the guide pin 238 locks the door 222 in the predetermined, e.g., open,position. The guide pin 238 has to be lifted upward against a bias forcein order to align the narrow portion 242 of the guide pin 238 with thenarrow portion 234 of the guide opening 232 for slidably pivoting thedoor 222 to a closed position.

Referring back to FIGS. 18-20, once each of the assemblies 10 is formed,the assemblies 10 are slidably loaded into the housing portion 218 ofthe frame 200 in a vertically stacked arrangement as shown in FIGS.18-20. Cantilever arms 246 provided on each tray 14 are used for fixingthe trays 14 to the frame 200 with a snap-fit interlock.

The frame 200 is shown in an empty configuration in FIGS. 21-23 toillustrate the assembly mounting locations in greater detail. As shown,bent portions 248 on right and left walls 224, 226 of the housing 218define slide surfaces 250 that slidably guide each tray 14 into theframe 200. The cantilever arms 246 cooperate with apertures 252 formedon the right and left walls 224, 226 of the housing 218 to flexibly lockthe assemblies 10 into place.

Now referring back to FIGS. 18-20, provided around the exterior of thehousing 218 are a number of cable management structures that areconfigured to guide individual cables 208 broken out from the bundlecables 206 entering the enclosure 214. The cable management structuresmay be used to guide cables 208 to and/or from the assemblies 10 mountedwithin the housing 218.

As shown from a rear perspective view of the chassis 200 in FIGS. 20 and23, the module mounting portion 216 defines a plurality of curved radiuslimiters 254 in a vertically stacked arrangement at the rear leftcorner, each one configured to receive cables 208 coming from radiuslimiters 256 positioned on the trays 14 of the assemblies 10.

Still referring to FIGS. 20 and 23, positioned toward the rear center ofthe chassis 200 are a plurality of spools 258 provided in a verticallystacked arrangement. The spools 258 are configured to guide cables 208coming from and going to the curved radius limiters 254 of the frame 200and take up slack for any cabling 208 extending between the differentlayers of modules 12. Another set of cable spools 260 are positioned tothe right of the spools 258 and may be used for either further cableslack management or to separate cables coming from a given module 12 andprovide separate cable paths to different modules 12 positioned towardthe front of the chassis 200.

A cable management plate 262 is positioned underneath a majority of thecable spools 260. The plate 262 defines a plurality of radiused passages264 at the right side thereof for guiding broken out cables 208 from thebundled cable 206 into the rears of the modules 12. As shown, the brokenout cables 208 can enter the rear inputs of the modules 12 through anopening 266 provided at the rear wall 228 of the housing 218. The plate262 is configured to partially cover the opening 266 to protect theinput cables 208. When a bundled cable 206 sealably enters the enclosure214, cables 208 that are broken out may be looped (e.g., at least once)within the cable seal portion 202 of the frame 200 and lead upwardly tothe rear sides of the modules 12 within the module mounting portion 216of the frame 200. When the cables 208 are lead upwardly, they passthrough the radiused passages 264 defined by the plate 262, enter intothe housing 218 through the opening 266, and are terminated or crimpedto rear sides of the modules 12.

Furthermore, the plate 262 can guide cables coming from the cablespools, either the right set 260 or the left set 258, downwardly suchthat the cables can be routed back up around the spools 258 to themodules 12.

When the cables are routed back toward the modules 12, they pass throughthe curved radius limiters 254 located at the rear left corner of theframe 200 and through the radius limiters 256 of the associated trays 14before being lead to a given module 12.

It should be noted that the frame 200 is configured to allow for avariety of fiber connectivity implementations depending upon the typesof modules 12 that are used on the frame 200. As noted earlier, abundled cable 206 can carry input and output signals (via broken outindividual cables 208) through the same bundled cable 206. The cablemanagement features at the rear of the frame 200 are used according tothe routing involved between different layers of modules 12.

For example, according to one implementation (similar to theconnectivity arrangement illustrated in FIGS. 28-30) the bundled cable206 can feed a number of feeder or input signals into a number of themodules 12 mounted on the frame 200. An output from a given module 12can enter the input of another module 12 (e.g., a splitter module) at adifferent layer and be split into a plurality of signals that can berelayed to different module layers on the frame 200. As discussedpreviously, the cable spools 258, 260 at the rear of the housing 218 canbe used in managing the cables routed between the different layers. Anexample of a module that houses a fiber optic splitter for this type ofa connectivity arrangement may be similar to the module 12 describedabove.

In the illustrated example of FIGS. 28-30, a “parking lot” feature isalso provided on the chassis 300. As shown, a number of the modules maybe implemented as “parking lot” or connector storage modules 312 (thebottom two layers in the given example) that can be used to holdlive-signal connectors until they are connected to a given module 12 forfurther processing.

As noted above, the cable seal portion 202 of the frame 200 can receivea cover 210 to seal the module mounting portion 216 from theenvironment. As shown in FIGS. 24-25, abutting flanges 268, 270 of thecable seal portion 202 and the cover 210 can be clamped via a clamp 212.Further sealants such as an O-ring may also be used.

For a taller frame such as the frame 300 of FIGS. 28-37, a pair ofspacer collars 272 and multiple clamps 212 may be used to enclose theframe 300. It should be noted that by using the spacer collars 272, thesame cover 210 can be utilized for both sizes of the frames.

As noted above, the frames 200, 300 of the present disclosure may beprovided as underground telecommunications fixtures or may be providedas above ground pole-mounted fixtures (as illustrated in FIGS. 26-27 and36-37).

As shown, for example, in FIGS. 26-27, the frame may be mounted to atelecommunications pole 400 via a bracket assembly 402. The bracketassembly 402 may include a pole mount portion 404 defined by an upperpart 406 and a lower part 408 that is mounted on the pole 400 and aframe mount portion 410 that is mounted to the cable seal portion 202 ofthe frame 200.

Adjacent the top end thereof, the cover 210 also defines a mount 412that is configured to cooperate with the upper part 406 of the polemount portion 404 of the bracket assembly 402 to secure the frame 200 tothe pole 400.

As shown, the frame mount portion 410 of the bracket assembly 402 thatis attached to the cable seal portion 202 of the frame 200 defines apair of pins 414 projecting from sidewalls 416 thereof. The pins 414cooperate with notches 418 defined on the lower part 408 of the polemount portion 404 of the bracket assembly 402. The notch 418 defined oneach side includes a locking portion 420 and an access portion 422. Whenthe pin 414 is in the locking portion 420 of the notch 418, theenclosure 214 sits vertically upright and the cover 210 can be fastenedto the upper part 406 of the pole mount portion 404 of the bracketassembly 402. When one of the clamps 212 needs to be taken off to removethe cover 210 to access the interior of the enclosure 214, first, afastener used to couple the dome 210 to the upper part 406 of the polemount portion 404 of bracket assembly 402 is removed. Next, each pin 414is moved into the access portion 422 of the notch 418 of the lower part408 of the pole mount portion 404 of the bracket assembly 402. Liftingthe pin 414 out of the locking portion 420 of the notch 418 and slidingthe pin 414 into the access portion 422 of the notch 418 brings theenclosure 214 to a pivoted/tilted position. At this point, the clamp 212around the cover 210 can be loosened and the cover 210 can be removedfor accessing the interior of the enclosure 214. When the technician isfinished with the enclosure 214, the cover 210 may be clamped and theenclosure 214 can be tilted back to the upright position by sliding thepin 218 into the locking portion 420 of the notch 418. And, at thispoint, the enclosure 214 can be fastened to the pole 400 at the upperpart 408 of the pole mount portion 404 of the bracket assembly 402.

As noted previously, unless otherwise stated, the above description isfully applicable to the taller-profiled frame 300 of FIGS. 28-37.

Referring specifically to FIGS. 34-35, it should be noted that in orderto access all of the connection locations within the frame 300, themiddle clamp 212, rather than the uppermost clamp 212, has to be removedwhen removing the dome 210. As such, when the dome 210 is removed, theupper collar 272 stays clamped to the dome 210 with the uppermost clamp212. Otherwise, the upper collar 272, if left mounted to the lowercollar 272, may block or limit access to some of the connectionlocations of the frame 300.

Referring to FIGS. 30 and 33, it should also be noted that thetaller-profiled frame 300 includes a longer cable management plate 362at the rear exterior of the housing 318 for covering a longer opening366 and defines a single cable management spool 360 above the plate 362and a single cable management spool 360 below the plate in addition tothe spools 358 provided to the left of the plate, all serving similarfunctionality as those discussed above with respect to frame 200.

The above specification, examples and data provide a completedescription of the manufacture and use of the disclosure. Since manyembodiments of the disclosure can be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the inventive aspects, the inventive aspects residesin the claims hereinafter appended.

What is claimed is:
 1. A telecommunications chassis comprising: a modulemounting portion defining a height, the module mounting portion furthercomprising: a housing defining an open front leading to interior, a rearwall, a right wall, and a left wall, the housing further defining aplurality of module mounting locations provided in a vertically stackedarrangement within the interior, each configured to receive atelecommunications module through the open front, an exterior of thehousing including a first column of radius limiters for guiding cablesfrom the front of the housing toward the rear with bend control, theradius limiters of the first column being provided in a verticallystacked arrangement, wherein each module mounting location that isprovided in the stacked arrangement is aligned with a separateassociated radius limiter from the first column of radius limiters forguiding cables from the front toward the rear wall of the housing,wherein the stacked module mounting locations and the first column ofradius limiters are each respectively horizontally aligned so as todefine vertically stacked parallel planes, the exterior of the housingincluding a second column of radius limiters in the form of spools thatare spaced apart and generally parallel to the first column of radiuslimiters, the exterior of the housing further including a third columnof radius limiters, at least some of which are in the form of spoolsthat are spaced apart and generally parallel to the first and secondcolumns of radius limiters, the rear wall defining an opening that hasan exterior access portion communicating with an exterior of the rearwall, wherein the exterior access portion extends generally along amajority of the height of the module mounting portion of thetelecommunications chassis for accessing, from the exterior of thehousing, rear ends of modules to be mounted in the housing for signalinput, wherein the exterior access portion of the module access openingextends vertically next to the second column of radius limiters.
 2. Thetelecommunications chassis of claim 1, further comprising a cablesealing portion defining at least one cable opening configured tosealably receive a cable, wherein the module mounting portion extendsupwardly from the cable sealing portion, the telecommunications chassisfurther comprising a dome sealably attached to the cable sealing portionof the chassis for forming an enclosure.
 3. The telecommunicationschassis of claim 2, wherein the dome is removably attached to thechassis via a clamp.
 4. The telecommunications chassis of claim 1,wherein the open front of the housing is closable by a door to definethe interior, wherein, when the door is closed, the housing defines agenerally cylindrical configuration.
 5. The telecommunications chassisof claim 2, wherein the cable sealing portion defines a channel forlooping of cabling entering the chassis through the at least one cableopening.
 6. The telecommunications chassis of claim 1, furthercomprising a plurality of telecommunications modules mounted to thehousing.
 7. The telecommunications chassis of claim 6, wherein each ofthe telecommunications modules is mounted via flexible cantilever armsforming a snap-fit interlock.
 8. The telecommunications chassis of claim7, wherein at least one of the telecommunications modules is aconnector-storage module configured to temporarily hold a plurality oflive-signal connectors without relaying signals of the connectors. 9.The telecommunications chassis of claim 6, wherein at least one of thetelecommunications modules carries a fiber optic component in the formof a fiber optic splitter for splitting input signals into a pluralityof the same output signals.
 10. The telecommunications chassis of claim4, further comprising a spring-biased latch for keeping the door at apredetermined open position.
 11. The telecommunications chassis of claim4, further comprising a locking latch for keeping the door at a closedposition.
 12. The telecommunications chassis of claim 11, wherein thelocking latch includes a swell latch.
 13. The telecommunications chassisof claim 2, further comprising a removable extension collar providedbetween the dome and the cable sealing portion of the chassis.
 14. Thetelecommunications chassis of claim 13, wherein the extension collar isclamped via removable clamps to both the cable sealing portion of thechassis and the dome.